The West Michigan Photography Collective, established in August 2011, will have a show at Frames Unlimited, 2935 28th St. SE, with a reception January 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. The WMPC is a group of photographers, artists, professionals, and enthusiasts, ranging in age from twenty-two to fifty-eight, who are passionate about photography and want to focus on promoting and encouraging the craft of photography.

Leah Burke, the group’s curator, will shape the upcoming show for January. “Our theme is based on memory in photography,” Burke said. “Photography lends itself to memory. Do they or don’t they match up?”

The group will do a lot of reading and explore theory. Each member will interpret this idea in his or her own way and submit a proposal. Visit the collective’s website, www.westmichiganphoto.org, for more information.

The members have scheduled meetings, attend various photo shows together, and have even given out their own ArtPrize Award for best photography. Each photographer has a preferred camera. The tools of the trade include a Deardorff 8x10 Field camera, an Anscoflex 120 vintage camera, Canon SD Mark lls, Shen Hao 4x5-large format, Nikon digital D series, Bronica 645 rangefinder, and a Hasselblad. With vintage to present-day digital cameras, this creative group makes its own stamp with the images the members capture.

The group was formed over members’ conversations about their craft and has Grand Rapids Community College Professor Jonathon Russell as its mentor. “Grand Rapids needs a group such as this to help each other and inspire each other,” member Sam Brower said.

The group was defined and membership with dues was created. Serious members with a passion and commitment are encouraged. Part of the group’s time is spent on workshops that present new ideas and skill sets, such as studio lighting and alternative processing. “Those are fun days,” Brower added.

All the members love photography, and it brings joy to each person in a different way. Member David VanderWiere called photography “an escape from real life.” For member Kelly Walkotten, her love for the hobby is “that instant second, that moment, that’s captured, that’s never repeated again.”

Brower described photography as “the perfect meld of art and science.” He praised the collective for helping everyone succeed in their passion. “The sum of everything we bring is much bigger than what we could all do individually,” he said.

And that tactile experience connects the photographer to the camera and then to the print. Perhaps a dialogue is created with the viewer—something you can experience at the group’s show which runs through February 17.